The verdict in three sentences
The CFO of a group with 4 subsidiaries who consolidates by hand every month spends 5 to 7 days collecting accounting exports, aligning charts of accounts and fixing spreadsheet formulas. There are three routes in 2026: Power BI Pro (about 14 USD per user per month), self-hosted open-source Metabase (free licence, hosting to pay) or custom development, which Kolonell delivers within its application grid of 2,500,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (3,810 to 22,870+ EUR). The right choice depends less on the visualisation tool than on the consolidated data layer underneath, which is what actually saves 5 closing days a month.
Why manual consolidation is so expensive
Take a mid-sized West African group with subsidiaries in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal: each keeps its books in Sage, often on different versions, with a locally adapted OHADA chart of accounts. The same pattern applies to any multi-entity group, from Lisbon to Nairobi. Even when all entities share a currency (here the CFA franc), method gaps remain: intercompany balances that do not match, head-office recharges allocated inconsistently, and staggered closing dates.
The typical monthly sequence:
- D+3 to D+5: each subsidiary controller exports the trial balance and emails it.
- D+5 to D+8: head office reworks the files, aligns accounts, eliminates intercompany.
- D+8 to D+10: the CFO spots gaps, sends questions, waits for corrections.
- D+10 to D+12: the report finally goes to the CEO and shareholders.
| Monthly close step | Manual | With an automated consolidated layer |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting 4 trial balances | 2 days, by email | Automatic every night |
| Mapping accounts to the group chart | 1.5 days | Mapping table maintained once |
| Eliminating intercompany transactions | 1 day | Automatic matching, gaps flagged |
| Consistency checks | 1 day | Daily alerts |
| Producing the report | 1 to 1.5 days | Dashboards refreshed every morning |
| Total time after month end | 10 to 12 days | 5 to 6 days |
Power BI, Metabase or custom: the comparison
Power BI is the most common tool among finance teams, valued for its Excel integration. Open-source Metabase runs on a group server and only costs hosting, with a simpler interface but fewer advanced features. Custom development makes sense when the group wants a single portal with commentary, per-subsidiary approval workflows or complex consolidation rules.
| Criterion | Power BI Pro | Self-hosted Metabase | Custom development |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 licence | About 14 USD (9,000 FCFA) per user per month | 0 | Included in project |
| Cost for 15 users over a year | About 2,500 USD (1,620,000 FCFA) | 0 in licences | 0 in licences |
| Hosting | Microsoft cloud included | 50 to 150 USD per month on a server | 50 to 150 USD per month |
| Connection to Sage | Connector or staging database | Staging database | Built for your Sage versions |
| Per-subsidiary approval workflow | Not native | No | Yes, tailored |
| In-house skills needed | Analyst trained in Power BI | Technical profile for upkeep | Provider on maintenance |
| Time to deploy | 6 to 10 weeks | 6 to 10 weeks | 10 to 16 weeks |
In all three cases the heaviest work is the same: extract data from the accounting system every night, load it into a central database, maintain the account mapping table and automate intercompany eliminations. A provider who sells you dashboards without this layer delivers beautiful charts on wrong numbers.
Kolonell budget
Kolonell treats this kind of project as a custom application, within its public grid:
| Scope | Kolonell range | Typical content |
|---|---|---|
| Simple application | 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR) | Consolidated layer plus Metabase or Power BI dashboards |
| Medium application | 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR) | Plus intercompany eliminations and alerts |
| Complex application | 7,000,000 to 15,000,000+ FCFA (10,670 to 22,870+ EUR) | Group portal, approval workflows, budget and forecasts |
| Maintenance | 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA per month (53, 114 or 183 EUR) | Basic, Standard or Premium |
On compliance, subsidiary financial data falls under each country's data protection law (Côte d'Ivoire 2013, Senegal 2008-12, and equivalent texts elsewhere, GDPR for any EU entity). Set up role-based access: a subsidiary controller should only see their own entity.
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Mini case study
Aminata, CFO of a distribution group based in Abidjan, consolidates 4 subsidiaries with 3 controllers at head office. The close takes 5 working days for three people each month, so 15 person-days. At a loaded cost of 60,000 FCFA (about 91 EUR) a day, that is 900,000 FCFA a month, or 10,800,000 FCFA a year.
With an automated consolidated layer and Metabase dashboards (a medium-complexity project at 5,500,000 FCFA), close work drops to 2 days for three people, so 6 person-days. Saving: 9 person-days a month, 540,000 FCFA a month, 6,480,000 FCFA a year. After 60,000 FCFA hosting and 75,000 FCFA Standard maintenance a month, the net gain is 405,000 FCFA a month. Payback comes in under 14 months, and the CEO gets the figures 5 days earlier.
FAQ
How much does Power BI cost for a 4-subsidiary group?
Power BI Pro costs about 14 USD per user per month in 2026. For 15 users, budget about 2,500 USD a year, before data preparation work.
Is open-source Metabase really free?
The licence is free, but you need a server (50 to 150 USD a month) and someone to maintain it. For a group without a tech team, outsourced maintenance becomes the real cost.
Can we connect straight to Sage?
Yes, through a nightly extract to a staging database. Direct connection to production databases is not advised: it slows Sage during data-entry hours.
How many closing days can we save?
In a 4-subsidiary group, close time usually falls from 10 to 12 days to 5 to 6 days after month end. Most of the gain comes from automated collection and intercompany eliminations.
Do we need a single group chart of accounts?
Not necessarily. A mapping table between local accounts and the group chart is enough, as long as it is updated whenever an account is created, about 1 to 2 hours a month.
Let's scope your project. We map the Sage extraction, account mapping and dashboards for your 4 subsidiaries, then deliver a first version in 10 to 16 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
